Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord, also known as the Battle of Normandy, occurred from 6 June to 30 August 1944 when the Allied Powers launched a massive invasion of continental Europe via the Normandy region of northern France. 2,052,299 troops from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth, and several occupied European countries took part in the invasion, facing over 1,000,000 German troops. The invasion began with the D-Day landings at Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah, and Omaha beaches in Normandy on 6 June, and the Allies broke out of the beachheads after a costly campaign through the French countryside and the hedgerows. The breakout would lead to the surrender of over 200,000 German troops in the Falaise Gap in August 1944 after they were boxed in at Chambois, and the Americans would liberate the rest of France by the end of the year.